F1 in danger of becoming GP1 - Newey

Adrian Newey has warned that Formula One's restrictive regulations pose the danger of making the series look like a single-make formula.

Newey will step back from Formula One at the end of this year to pursue other projects with Red Bull and has admitted F1's tightening rule book is part of the reason for his decision. Windtunnel and CFD work has been capped further this year, limiting the potential for development, while the rules regarding the car's aerodynamics become ever tighter.

"There have been a whole host of factors playing their parts in my decision to leave F1, and a lot of mixed emotions," he told the latest issue of Motor Sport. "I felt it was time to challenge myself in something different and that's certainly a factor.

"But at the same time I do think the regs have become too restrictive. We're in danger, chassis-wise, of becoming GP1. Everybody's converging on cars that look more and more similar. We're back to 'paint the cars white and it's difficult to spot the difference' - especially next year when we even lose the different noses."

In the interview, Newey summed up the current situation in F1 by saying: "My fellow F1 technical directors have been like turkeys voting for Christmas."